1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a heat exchanger which may be continuously mass-produced by press-fitting heat exchange fins into refrigerant tubes and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an air conditioner is an apparatus which maintains indoor air suitable for daily life using a refrigeration cycle. The air conditioner may cool an indoor space by repeating suction of in warm air in the indoor space, heat exchange between the warm air and a refrigerant of a low temperature, and discharge of the heat-exchanged air to the indoor space, or may heat the indoor space by opposite interaction.
The air conditioner may cool or heat an indoor space by the refrigeration cycle in which air circulates along a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator in a regular direction or the reverse direction. The compressor provides a refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state, and the condenser provides a refrigerant in a normal-temperature and high-pressure liquid state. The expansion valve decompresses the refrigerant in the normal-temperature and high-pressure liquid state, and the evaporator evaporates the decompressed refrigerant into a low-temperature gaseous state.
Air conditioners may be divided into a split type air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are separated from each other, and an integration type air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are integrated. In case of a split type air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are separated from each other, a compressor and a condenser (an outdoor heat exchanger) are provided in the outdoor unit and an evaporator (an indoor heat exchanger) is provided in the indoor unit. A refrigerant may circulate in the outdoor unit and the indoor unit through pipes connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.
A heat exchanger, such as the condenser of the outdoor unit or the evaporator of the indoor unit, includes refrigerant tubes along which the refrigerant may flow. A plurality of fins is mounted on the refrigerant tubes and may thus improve heat exchange efficiency. Conventional heat exchangers use circular refrigerant tubes but recent heat exchangers may use plate type refrigerant tubes which may reduce resistance received when external air passes through the heat exchangers. Such heat exchangers may be referred to as plate-fin type heat exchangers. Here, a plurality of fins is mounted on plates provided with refrigerant flow paths, thus improving heat exchange efficiency.
In a conventional plate-fin type heat exchanger, grooves or holes into which plates are inserted are formed on fins, and the plate-fin type heat exchanger is manufactured by inserting the plates into the grooves or holes under the condition that the plural fins are stacked. In order to improve contact between the fins and the plates, a clad is applied prior to insertion of the plates. In this case, insertion of the plates into the grooves or the holes may be difficult due to friction between the stacked fins and the plates and, if the plates are forcibly inserted into the grooves or the holes, the fins may be deformed or be non-uniformly located.